Viral social media campaign addresses what it takes to sell your home without a realtor in Colorado
If you're in Boulder or the real estate community, you may have seen posts about the home on 1010 Union Ave. on social media over the past week. The controversy that's come with it has sparked a conversation about the resources people have if they want to sell their own home.
Homeowner Mike Chambers has been documenting this journey for the last few weeks. "I could not find an agent who was willing to list it for less than two and a half percent. And I felt really frustrated," Chambers said, "This is the second weekend, we've so far had one offer."
He's not only posting about his house but tackling the hurdles every Colorado homeowner can hit when they put up the sign "For sale by owner." That includes limited access to listing services like the MLS or Multiple Listing Services.
"Let's assume good faith, some of these laws are meant to protect consumers. But you know, by preventing me from being able to access the platform that all of the agents use, I am at an inherent disadvantage," Chambers said.
His Instagram posts under the username @realtorshateme have struck a cord and gained more than 10 thousand followers in a few weeks.
"I definitely have chosen to use some tactics that I know are going to get people's attention. For instance, I named the Instagram account Realtors Hate Me," Chambers said.
CBS Colorado asked local realtor Brie Fowler if she thinks MLS access should be open to everyone. Fowler said, "I don't think it would really make a big deal if more people had access to the MLS. I'm not opposed to it, but I'm also of the mindset that there's enough business to go around."
But not all realtors agree, and Fowler said there still can be drawbacks if more people sell without a realtor, including possible lower sale prices and confusion with legal documentation.
"The main piece, in my opinion, is safety because only real licensed real estate agents can access the showing time systems," Fowler said, "There's going to be a lot more mistakes and more lawsuits, and it could end up being kind of a circus."
CBS Colorado also reached out to REcolorado, (who helps run the state's MLS platform), to ask why access is limited, but they declined to interview, affirming they are a broker-to-broker platform.
Other listing platforms like Zillow also have filters to access homes for sale by owner. Zillow shared a statement in part, "We were required to comply with the 'no-commingling rule' to obtain feeds of MLS listings, but we've publicly advocated against this rule for several years because we believe all listing data should be displayed in one place. As more MLSs revoke the no-commingling rule, Zillow has enabled a single search experience on a by-market basis."
Still, around the time Chambers started posting, the filter went away in Boulder. Zillow reports efforts to take that filter down in the area started in December.
And with a $2.75 million home and viral videos, Chambers said he's not looking for sympathy but change.
"If I'm dealing with this as someone who, like, understands marketing, understands business, has handled major business transactions throughout my career, and I'm having a hard time with this. Like, yeah, the everyday Joe is going to have a 10 times harder time," Chambers said.
At Saturday's open house, a few agents did come through with some mentioning the Instagram. As the house stays on the market, Chambers expects to continue posting on social media, at least until the house is sold.
